I Really Loved This Car! —
Overall, a fantastic car. It was my first car and it outlasted all of my friends' newer first cars. The acceleration, braking, and handling were great. I felt comfortable driving in the slush and snow for the most part. Its a fun car to drive. It's small and low to the ground so you kind of have a "racecar" feel to it. Loved the car!

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Pros:
Super reliable! The appearance is really nice...definitely does not look like a car made in 1997. Very sleek. The sunroof is so nice to have. Very comfortable and spacious, both in the front and back seats. The trunk is very spacious as well.

Cons:
The cost of maintenance is a bit high. It takes synthetic oil so that's always more costly, but it lasts 6,000 miles instead of 3,000 so it makes up for it. The tires are also a bit costly. It fits 5 comfortably, however getting a carseat in/out is difficult.

Nice Daily Driver —
the performance of the car is great for how big it is. i have over 200k miles on it and drive it hard and it still doesn't miss a beat. even though it looks like a space ship it will grow on you.

2.2 Cl Is A Great Car —
it s my second one ... nice sleek look fully loaded , rare to see them on the roads cheap luxury/ sport car and it come with a manual transmission .. better than an accord of the same generation imao .. Honda quality is no doubt a good one

Well Worth It And It Should Go A Very Long Time If Taken Care Of —
great little car, mine is the base so it is not really that quick, but is very reliable. I am sold on Acura and might be buying the 2003 Cl Type S with a six speed manual and 265 HP. The only weakness of the 97 is the automatic transmission, so the Type S will solve that.

Not A Bad Little Coupe —
i like like car. acceleration isn't bad considering it has 320K KMS, braking is decent, handling is great especially at lower speeds. the appearance is decent, although i liked it a lot more when i first got the car. . interior is very nice for a 97. the transmission fluid is not cheap. however, car gets 850 kms highway per tank. overall, 3.5 stars
sadly its governed to around 185 kms per hour.

Definitely Holds Up For Off-roading! —
She's a V-Tech so...It's got some oompf! Gas mileage would be decent if someone actually drove it a lot slower than I do! It's a hot looking car and it's foreign so it will last a long time! Overall, it's a good car!

I love how this car drives. Its has a nice exhaust tone when you start it up and its fast. Getting to where I need to go is never a problem. Having 200 horsepower and a slick automatic gives this car some crazy pick-up. The car brakes when it needs to and handles excellently. Besides all that, the car is comfortable as well. It has plush leather seating, heated seats and mirrors, moonroof, BOSE CD, wood trim and enough room for 5. It can whip around corners and its relatively easy to park. The quality of the car is solid. It's needed normal maintance repairs as well as wear items such as the timing belt. The car still feels solid and new for a 12 year old car. The car looks like nothing on the road. The front looks like a Honda Accord, but the back is its own. There is a distinctive crease going from the front of the car, down the middle, to the back of the car. The slick roofline gives it a distinctive design as well. The interior and the exterior has held up beautifully for its age. After getting the fuel system cleaned and other maintenance, Ive been able to consistently get between 19-22 m.p.g. (mix of city and highway). As for the fun factor, this car is definitely fun. Slamming the gas from a stop and hitting the V-TEC is like no other. Even on the highway, getting to 80 is easy. Its like a rush like no other and its an awesome, reliable and gorgeous car to drive.

I See A Red Car And I Want It Painted Black. —
Love this car--or at least I used to. Long Story (nothing to do with the car--bad memories, that's all). Quick off the line, but very skittish over bumps. Rear end tends to jump around a lot--and so does the front end now that I think of it. Suspensions seems to bottom out (i.e. hit its bumpstops) about an inch too soon. MOre travel, especially in the rear would be welcome. Loe the feel of driving this car though.. For a small CL-style GT coupe, it was lovely. I actually had two of them, both 1997's. One black and one red.

Acuras Last... —
I'm at 207,000 miles but the car doesn't look like it was made in '97. Solid car for the money. Only downside is cost of repairs (which are, fortunately, rather infrequent all things considered). Every morning I enjoy getting into it. How many people can say that about their 200K+ car.

Pros:
Solid build, good looks, and it's comfy and quick as hell for the engine size.

Great Little Car —
Been a great car, no real issues except a transmission rebuild at 200,000 kms. Now at 340,000 and still going strong. Minor brake issues, but I need to take care of those soon. Bosy is still in great shape and the car still looks good. Here are 3 more words. Let me post this now.

Reviews From Other Years

Still Liking ItBy Sam

its old. but it takes me places no problem.
tranny started to be a little jumpy but its still ok.
not worth fixing it since its old.
maybe a newer car soon, who knows. Whenever it breaks dwn i gue...
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Absolutely Amazing Car!!!By AssuranceAuto

I have owned 3 Acura TL's always wanted the CL and For a 2 door coupe, there is lot of room, plenty of cargo space, great performance with the type s,Sport-shift transmission. great handling, Very rel...
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2002 Acura Cl Type SBy HBreck

Owned from May 2005 through February 2007. Good power, so-so fuel economy, ok handling, but the handling suffered by comparison to my previous car, a 1997 Honda Prelude. Heavy for a coupe, and somewha...
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Proud Of Owning One!By xakeo

Love it! Style-wise still one of the best looking cars out there even 9 years later. Very reliable car, built to last a long time. Wish it was four door at this point in time! Very easy to maintain an...
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FantasticBy hopair

I use this car for daily driving. Very responsive and agile. I avg. 24 mpg in suburban and
30 mpg. hgwy. I can drive this as an average or spirited driver and am never disappointed.
270 hp is ...
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My Best FriendBy Maxamillius

This car was my first car. Never gave me many problems except for the cylinders misfiring. when it isn't jerking, it drives very smoothly and is overall comfortable. i have been through snow, water, h...
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Nice CarBy migration_bigjoetwo2

I love this car but look out for the bad trany will cost you . but the power is good but no race winner but for a poor man one nice car you have to look for parts in the yards to save
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Good Student CarBy CraigV

I bought this car for my 16 yr old son. Wanted something reliable, somewhat sporty, and with a manual transmission. He drove it for over 3 years and had very few problems with it (rear brake calipers,...
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1998 Acura Cl 3.2lBy emeccaauto1

This car is pretty fun to drive with a 5 speed manual. Reliability? This car wrote the book on it. Which is what every Honda/Acura has come to know and love. It has 167k miles and runs like new, no ma...
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Great Car With One Fatal FlawBy clintonics

I love this little car, it was cheap but
performs very well and is very comfortable with
leather heated seats power everything, a Bose
sound system, a sunroof and a great ride. The
car is incredib...
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